good morning, everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. overnight president obama signed into law a just-passed bill that raises taxes on the wealthiest americans, avoiding the fiscal cliff that economists said would throw this country back into recession. the president signed the bill in hawaii. he's back on vacation there. the fiscal cliff deal was the last piece of legislation considered by the 112th congress. the new congress is sworn in today, facing some of the same tax, spending, and debt issues that stymied their predecessor. tara mergener joins us. tara, good morning to you. good morning, terrell. terrell, dozens of freshmen join the ranks today, but they face plenty of old business and the reality of a bitterly divided government. there will be fresh faces and new challenges when the 113th congress is sworn in today on capitol hill. >> it's a privilege and you realize that the hard part is still what lies ahead.

>> the new term wil begin almost immediately with several issues left over from the last session, including a bill to provide financial relief for victims of superstorm sandy, deep spending cuts known as sequestration tabled during the fiscal cliffs talks this week, including a bill to increase the nation's debt limit, but it won't take much for them to surpass the previous group in terms of legislative success. >> they tell me this is the least productive congress in the history of the nation. if it's not, i would hate to be in the one that was. >> the 113th congress will be the most diverse group of representatives ever assembled, especially in a democratic house caucus where white males will be in the minority for the first time ever. >> together the diversity of our caucus celebrates the strength of our nation. >>ov overall there will be neary 100 women and 33 hispanics all

eager to handle the challenges ahead. >> we all have our ideas, the district sent us, and -- where are the bathrooms? >> mark kirk is making a comeback after nearly a year of rehabbing from a stroke. >> i don't ask for any sympathy. >> he says his biggest challenge today will be climbing the steps of the capitol building without tripping. and no one will have much time to settle in. the battle over the $16.4 trillion debt limit likely starts, terrell, next month. >> here we go again. tara mergener in washington. tara, thank you so much. speaker of the house john boehner says he'll schedule a vote for reef tomorrow for the victims of superstorm sandy. many of the harsh words directed at boehner came from outraged members of his own party. marlie hall reports. >> reporter: in the rush to stop the u.s. from going over the fiscal cliff, congress let something else fall. house speaker john boehner put

off a vote on a $60 billion aid package for victims of superstorm sandy. >> it's why american people hate congress. it's why they hate them. >> reporter: some of boehner's fellow republicans, especially those affected by the storm were outraged. >> americans deserve better. they forgot who to serve and why. >> reporter: boehner scrambled to repair the damage. he promised a house vote on a $9 billion package on friday and the remaining $51 billion on january 15th. that was enough for some. >> this procedure that's laid out is fully acceptable and fully satisfactory. this will give us the full $60 billion. >> reporter: superstorm sandy nearly knocked this house in breezy point, new york, off its foundation and most who live here are still not back in their homes. >> this is people's lives. this is not a political football. >> reporter: joseph izzo's home was damaged by the storm.

he call's congress's inaction disgraceful given other hurricanes' response. >> how can you not act on this when you think about irene and how quickly they reacted. why now this political turmoil? >> reporter: izzo says he hopes congress will do the right thing on friday and approve the money. marlie hall, cbs news, breezy point, new york. under some very tight security, the children of sandy hooks elementary school returned to sclas today for the first time since last month's deadly shooting. they'll be going to a new school in a neighboring community. the school will keep its name, sandy hook elementary. there will be a large police presence at the school in monroe, connecticut, but the administrators want to keep things as routine as possible. >> great deal of thought and

volunteer work to make this as seamless as possible. at one point there were 80 people in the building cleaning up the building, doing the kinds of things, painting it to make it really look cheerful and happy. >> on december 14th gunman adam lanza killed 20 sandy hook students and six staff members. >> secretary of state hillary clinton spent the night at home after being released from a new york city hospital. she spent three days there after being treated for a complication from a concussion. margaret brennan reports. >> reporter: secretary clinton was discharged from the hospital where she was being treated for a blood clot. earlier on wednesday secretary clinton was seen for the first time in the public in three weeks after she walked out of the institute into a van along with a smiling bill and chelsea clinton and along with security detail. her spokesperson released this statement moments after her motorcade pulled away, saying her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts and they are confident that she will make a full recovery. the state department says that clinton has been very active and in communication with her staff.

margaret brennan, cbs news, new york. overseas in pakistan this morning, pakistani officials say a pair of u.s. drone strikes killed 13 people. it's report bud not confirmed that among the dead is a senior taliban commander. meanwhile a federal judge has rule thad the obama administration does not have to rule the justification for drone attacks against terrorists. it was about the highly classified targeted killings program. the suit followed a drone strike that killed a leader anwar al awlaki. critics complained it was illegal for the u.s. government to kill citizens without a trial. there's a new death count in the syrian civil war. the u.n. says more than 60,000 people have been killed in the 21 months since the uprising began. yesterday a syrian jet bombed a gas station in a damascus suburb. dozens were reportedly killed. an american journalist is missing in syria. james foley was working for a

french news outlet when he was kidnapped according to his family. they say he was abducted by unknown gunmen on thanksgiving day. two years ago he was held by gunman in libya for six weeks. we'll take a break on this thursday morning. when we come back, a final tune. we'll remember '50s pop star patti page and her memorable hit songs. this is "morning news." memorable songs. this is "morning news." nof splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u.s. postal service. we'll even drop off boxes if you need them.

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a new study suggests that astronauts are at risk of contracting alzheimer's disease. researchers at the university of rochester exposed mice to high levels of radiation the same amount that astronauts would be exposed to in the three years it would take to get to mars. the researchers say they're working to find a way to lessen the chance of astro nuts getting alzheimer's by the time they travel to mars.

u.s. faces a downgrade and starbucks retires an old idea. strong gains and property stock in china lifted most asian stocks this morning. hong kong's hang seng added nearly half a percent while hong kong's kospi added half a per senl and tokyo's nikkei remains closed during the holiday. the dow finished at 308 points higher on wednesday, the first trading day of the new year. the nasdaq also gained 92 points. two of the nation's largest credit rating companies are urging congress to shrink the federal deficit that now tops $1 trillion. moody's investor services warns that if congress failed to act, it could cut the nation's a aa rating and standard and poor says it could be lowered unless congress takes action. avis, the nation's largest car rental company is going in a new direction. it plans to buy zipcar for $400 million.

unlike traditional car rentals, zipcar is a car-sharing service that's more lucrative. members pay a yearly fee in addition to an hourly rate. al jazeera is expected to have a much bigger voice in the u.s. it plans to buy current tv, the low rated cable channel started by former vice president al gore and a business partner for about $500 million. al jazeera is only available in a few places in the u.s. the deal would give it a potential audience of 60 million homes. google may be trying to make an inroad into communist north korea, the world's most closed society. eric schmidt, the company's executive chairman, is expected to travel there on a humanitarian mission perhaps within the month. in a new year's day speech, kim jong-un says he wants to modernize his nation.

jal and starbucks is bringing up an old idea. they want to reutilize plastic cups. starbucks said five years ago that it wanted to serve 25% of all its drinks in reusable cups by 2510. the goal has since been reduced to 5%. it's great idea, terrell. it sounds like a lot of planning and organizing and too much for me to do, keep track of that cup. >> i wonder how the baristas at starbucks feel about that. not only do i have to make your coffee, but now i've got to wash your cup too? >> can i bring you other dishes? >> can i wash all the dishes? >> ashley morrison in new york. thank you so much. patti page is a singer who's remembered as an easy singer who crossed pop and country charts for much of the 1950s. her hits were indelible. ♪ i was dancing with my darling

to the tennessee watts ♪ >> page's singing career lasted well into the 1980s shelf sold more than 100 million records. she'll receive a lifetime achievement award at the grammy awards in a few weeks. patti page died on new year's day. she was 85 years old. up next on a thursday morning, your weather forecast. and in sports, syracuse hoops coach jim boeheim bounces into the record books. this is the "cbs morning news." coach jim bayh,nikze bounces into the record books. this is the "cbs morning news." chili's lunch combos. starting at 6 bucks. more life happens here.

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here's look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 31, chicago, breezy, 29, partly sunny in dallas, 50, mostly sunny in l.a., 68 degrees. let's check your national forecast. as much as a foot of snow could blanket parts of new mexico and texas. scattered showers will stretch from the eastern gulf coast to the southeast coast. much of the northeast will be dry and chilly. in sport this morning syracuse university basketball coach jim boeheim continues to climb the ranks in the record books. boeheim looking for victory 903 to become the second winningest coach in college history. syracuse hitting the first half against rutgers on a 21-0 run. the orange go on to win it, 78-53. the win moves boeheim past legendary indiana coach bobby knight. the clippers trying to get

back on track. the warriors have different plans. harrison barnes delivers a big slam in the second and in the third l.a.'s blake griffin takes a hard foul. his head hit the floor. he would be okay. seth curry leading. they win, 106-94. an upset in one of college football's beefiest bowl games. muhammad ali on hand to watch his hometown team shock the world. the cardinals opened the game by returning an interception for a touchdown. fourth ranked florida never got in the game. louisville rolls to a 33-23 win. and one of the most fearsome players in nfl history is hanging it up after the season. baltimore ravens' linebacker ray lewis is retiring after 17 seasons. his last game could be this weekend when the ravens and colts face off in the playoffs. in 2000 luz lewis was arrested

after the super bowl for alleged involvement in a double murder. he pleaded guilty in a misdemeanor and testified against his codefendants. when we come back this morning, colorado controversy. families of victims in the deadly movie theater shooting are outraged over an invitation from the theater owners. theater shooting are outraged over an invitation from the theater owners. icious k it's no ordinary nonfat yogurt. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories, it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. its creamy, thick texture helps satisfy you. so you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction. light & fit greek. be light and fit. and satisfied. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation.

because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. robbery leaves a woman shak. what was taken that could hp cops catch the thieves. plus: a bay area community a threat in its own backyar why it's seeking disaster rf -- and how close it came to catastrophe after recent ra and bittersweet return. stus from sandy hook elementary back to school today. what's being done to ease the transition. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng at 4:30.

,,,, here's a look at the weather in some cities around the here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. partly sunny in washington, 41 degrees. atlanta, mostly sunny, 50. occasional sun in st. louis, 32. mostly sunny in denver, 37. and cloudy with afternoon rain in seattle, 46 degrees. many of the relatives of the 12 people killed in the aurora, colorado, movie theater shooting are rejecting a invitation to attend the planned reopening. they're due to reopen in two weeks but families criticize

cinemark, the owner, describing the offer as, quote, disgusting. >> cinemark has never offered their condolences to us families, to any of the victims, and they have -- we feel like they've sort of -- they want to use us as a stepping stone to try and boost ticket sales for their grand reopening for the public. >> a hearing is scheduled for next week to determine whether there's enough evidence to put accused gunman james holmes on trial. a massive operation is under way off a remote alaskan island. a shil oil rig ran aground this week. more than 600 people are working to ensure that the rig is safe and figuring out how to move the vessel and its fuel cargo. ben tracy reports. >> reporter: the coast guard has conducted several flyovers of the grounded oil rig and says it's stable. late wednesday they were able to land a crew on the rig to assess the damage up close. curtis smith is with shell oil, which owns the rig.

>> in the event that the hull is intact, we might consider the next move, which is moving the kulluk off the beach, off the rocks, and out to sea. >> reporter: there are nearly 160,000 gallons of diesel fuel and oil inside the kulluk's hole. so far there's no sign of leaking, but the coast guard says they're planning a full-scale cleanup operation just in case. the $300 million drill rig ran aground last week after a fierce storm. all 18 people on board were rescued. >> we have a long history of working safely and responsibly offshore alaska, we're very proud of that. so when operations don't go perfectly or as planned, we have to own that. we have to learn from it, and we will. >> reporter: the kulluk is a key part of shell oil's billion-dollar effort to drill for oil.

they had to halt work in september because of ice floes. they have yet to complete a single well. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. i'm terrell brown. this is the "morning news." [ nyquil bottle ] hey tylenol, you know we're kinda like twins. [ tylenol bottle ] we are? yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion.

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a company in massachusetts is developing technology to keep drunk drivers off the road. it's aimed at saving thousands of lives lost each year in drunk driving accidents. mark strassmann spoke to one couple who survived an accident but not without tremendous loss. >> reporter: meredith and matt eastridge were driving home in 2010 when another car speeding 100 miles an hour hit them head on. they both were critically hurt. meredith, six months' pregnant lost their baby son. >> i think about him every day. i think about how old he would be and what he would be doing. >> the family you would have had. >> right. >> reporter: david huffman drove the other car. surveillance video from the charlotte bar showed he had the equivalent of 15 drinks in two hours. he stumbled outside and three

minutes later was killed when his car crashed into the eastridges'. >> this is something that could have been prevented. you know, this is 100% preventable very outside boston a company called kin it ick is working on a project that could end drunk driving for all. all 16 major carmakers and the federal government split the funding. >> we've narrowed it down to two types of technology. one is breath-based. one is touch-based. >> reporter: either way, the goal is if someone is impaired behind the wheel, the car will not start. >> in our case, the car will start, lit not move. >> reporter: it sends an infrared light into the fingertip. it measures the tissue's alcohol content or a sensor mounted near the steering wheel can test a driver's breath. in a half second it reads whether the driver's alcohol count is above .08, the national legal limit.

zouck's team is still working through every driving scenario. zouck says the technology could be ready by the end of the decade. >> this is the single best opportunity we have to prevent 10,000 people from dying a year. it's the equivalent of a seatbelt of our generation. >> reporter: but the technology sl is opposed by the american beverage institute, a trade group. they worry about inaccurate sensors targeting all americans which could inhibit someone's ability to have a glass of wine with dinner, a beer at a ball game, or a champagne toast at a wedding and then drive home. david huffman's autopsy showed he was drunk almost three times the legal limit. the new sensors would have stopped his car from moving. >> there are multiple times in that night that this tragedy could have been prevented. >> if you're in the car and you're over that limit, the car shouldn't work. >> reporter: mark strassmann, charlotte. coming up after your local news on "cbs morning news"

president obama and congress talk about the debt ceiling talks. we hear from robert gibbs. mr. obama's senior campaign adviser. plus secretary clinton back home after a blood clot in her head. we eat get an update on "zero dark thirty." for now, though, that is the "morning news" for this thursday. we appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown in new york. take care, everybody. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

this morning. >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. good morning, it is thursday, january 3. i'm elizabeth wenger. michelle is off this morning. >> she is sleeping in. hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. it is nearly 4:30. it was cold this morning. >> not as cold as yesterday.

>> pretty close. these temperatures down into the 20s and 30s again. we're looking at widespread frost. we'll talk about that coming up. >> on the roads, caltrans is back and busy. we roadwork in marin county and on 880. island tell you what that means for your morning -- i'll tell you what that means for your morning commute in a few minutes. in san francisco, an overnight home invasion in the richmond district. cbs 5 reporter anne makovec is at the scene with more. >> reporter: investigators is here, csi on the way to investigate what happened. this is 40th avenue in san francisco's outer richmond district. you can see several officers here. from what we understand right now it looks like a group of intruders made its way into the house. there were several people, young adults, inside the house at the time. they made off with several items including electronics. they came in